Barack Obama, Son of Promise, Child of Hope, by Nikki Grimes

Barack Obama, Son of Promise, Child of Hope

by Nikki Grimes

illustrated by Bryan Collier

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
• Pub. Date: August 2008
• ISBN-13: 9781416971443
• Sales Rank: 340
• Age Range: 5 to 10
• 48pp

Synopsis (from bn.com)

Ever since Barack Obama was young, Hope has lived inside him. From the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Chicago, from the jungles of Indonesia to the plains of Kenya, he has held on to Hope. Even as a boy, Barack knew he wasn’t quite like anybody else, but through his journeys he found the ability to listen to Hope and become what he was meant to be: a bridge to bring people together.

This is the moving story of an exceptional man, as told by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Bryan Collier, both winners of the Coretta Scott King Award. Barack Obama has motivated Americans to believe with him, to believe that every one of us has the power to change ourselves and change our world.

Classroom ideas:

• Teaching Guide from Nikki’s  Site: http://www.nikkigrimes.com/teacher/tgbarack.pdf
• Barack Obama timeline: http://www.tomsnyder.com/timelinerxe/resources/obama.pdf
• Scholastic’s Inauguration Day activities: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=490
• Scholastic – Obama’s Challenge: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=490

Reviews:

School Library Journal (from bn.com)

K-Gr 5    A bright child of humble background is encouraged by the adults around him to believe that he is capable of doing anything he wants to do. Sound familiar? It’s called the American Dream, and the boy is Barack Obama, a biracial child who has gone on to change the course of history. This picture-book biography serves to educate children not only about Obama’s journey thus far, but also to connect his circumstances to their own. In particular, children of color now know that they too have boundless potential. Grimes’s imagery, however, is occasionally overblown as both Hope and God speak directly to Obama. His impressive life story needs no inflating, and the heavy imagery gets in the way of the message. Collier’s vivid watercolor and collage artwork brings the varied aspects of the man’s life together. From the sparkling beaches of Hawaii where he played as a child to the brown, arid village in Kenya where his father was buried, readers see Obama always reaching toward the future. Despite the overly laudatory tone, this book is an appealing addition to biography collections.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA